Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that Ethiopia needs a sea gate to respond to the development needs of its people.
When Ethiopia is building the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), the countries that are concerned about the issue have requested us, and we should also ask to have a sea gate, he explained to the members of the House of Representatives, a week before
The Prime Minister said Ethiopia needs a sea gate but did not mention which one.
Following this, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, which are Ethiopia’s neighbours and have sea gates, all three countries have rejected Ethiopia’s request.
The government of Eritrea has already stated the matter, and the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the country will not hand over its resources to anyone and that no request has been made so far.
On the other hand, the Djiboutian government has announced that it will not accept Ethiopia’s request for a sea gate.
Ethiopia’s other neighbour, Somalia, which has a seaport, has stated that it will work together with Ethiopia on various issues, but not accept the port issue.
Apart from Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea were part of Ethiopia before they became independent countries, and Eritrea became an independent country in 1994 through a referendum.
Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed brought up the seaport agenda, it has become a grand talking point, and some are saying that the Prime Minister brought up the port issue to quell the public opposition he faced in the country.
Other Ethiopians supported the question raised by the Prime Minister saying that it is important for Ethiopia and has a legal right to claim the sea gate.
Although Ethiopia had Asab and Matsawa ports, before Eritrea it had seceded by referendum and since 1994 been a landlocked country.
Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, Ethiopia is re-organizing its navy force under national defence.
